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CNN Live At Daybreak
Coffey Talk: Chicago-Area Students Go on Trial For Hazing
Aired June 11, 2003 - 06:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In Illinois, two parents and 16 expelled students head to court today to face charges in that Chicago- area high school hazing incident. The seniors face only misdemeanor charges, and some say they may plead guilty. But keep in mind there is a strong chance that civil suits could be filed against them by the juniors, who say they were hurt. The two adults are charged with providing alcohol to minors.
Time for some "Coffey Talk" right now. Legal analyst Kendall Coffey live on the phone from Miami to talk more about hazing.
Good morning -- Kendall.
KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, what can we expect today?
COFFEY: No one is going to jail. There's going to be some combination of pleas either today or in the near future, I would expect. Community service, yes, but I don't think jail for any of the students. It wasn't...
COSTELLO: What about the parents?
COFFEY: Well, the parents are obviously looked at much more seriously. They were providing -- it's alleged -- alcohol to someone else's kids. That's a serious matter from the perspective of all of us. But first-time offenders are still not likely to see jail.
COSTELLO: OK, let's talk about civil cases, civil lawsuits being filed against these seniors. The juniors are threatening to do just that. Do they have a chance of being successful with those lawsuits?
COFFEY: Well, if someone breaks bones or opens up wounds or cause stitches, that's not just a crime; that's obviously a basis for civil litigation. So, we could very well see some claims from some of the kids, especially five of them were hospitalized.
COSTELLO: And perhaps this could complicate things, but the school is coming down on those juniors who were being hazed, saying they broke the rules by taking part in this hazing event. Will that complicate things for them in their lawsuit?
COFFEY: And they had a lawyer saying that they don't want to have to sign confidentiality agreements and they have constitutional rights. And the law is that children don't shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse door. But you've also got to "know when to hold them and know when to fold them," as Kenny Rogers once sang. And it seems like there is plenty of litigation already, and it's time to really allow these kids to get their lives back to normal. They are young kids. They should not become teenage plaintiffs and spend years in the court system.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll see what happens. Kendall Coffey, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired June 11, 2003 - 06:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In Illinois, two parents and 16 expelled students head to court today to face charges in that Chicago- area high school hazing incident. The seniors face only misdemeanor charges, and some say they may plead guilty. But keep in mind there is a strong chance that civil suits could be filed against them by the juniors, who say they were hurt. The two adults are charged with providing alcohol to minors.
Time for some "Coffey Talk" right now. Legal analyst Kendall Coffey live on the phone from Miami to talk more about hazing.
Good morning -- Kendall.
KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, what can we expect today?
COFFEY: No one is going to jail. There's going to be some combination of pleas either today or in the near future, I would expect. Community service, yes, but I don't think jail for any of the students. It wasn't...
COSTELLO: What about the parents?
COFFEY: Well, the parents are obviously looked at much more seriously. They were providing -- it's alleged -- alcohol to someone else's kids. That's a serious matter from the perspective of all of us. But first-time offenders are still not likely to see jail.
COSTELLO: OK, let's talk about civil cases, civil lawsuits being filed against these seniors. The juniors are threatening to do just that. Do they have a chance of being successful with those lawsuits?
COFFEY: Well, if someone breaks bones or opens up wounds or cause stitches, that's not just a crime; that's obviously a basis for civil litigation. So, we could very well see some claims from some of the kids, especially five of them were hospitalized.
COSTELLO: And perhaps this could complicate things, but the school is coming down on those juniors who were being hazed, saying they broke the rules by taking part in this hazing event. Will that complicate things for them in their lawsuit?
COFFEY: And they had a lawyer saying that they don't want to have to sign confidentiality agreements and they have constitutional rights. And the law is that children don't shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse door. But you've also got to "know when to hold them and know when to fold them," as Kenny Rogers once sang. And it seems like there is plenty of litigation already, and it's time to really allow these kids to get their lives back to normal. They are young kids. They should not become teenage plaintiffs and spend years in the court system.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll see what happens. Kendall Coffey, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
